Session 6 Recap

General Summary

The next day in Koso Mura, Togashi Chiyoko acquires the necessary paper for the invitations and dispatch 2 of their soldiers back to Toshi No Naishou with it. After that, she meets with Gorou, the senior-most Taoist monk in the province, and he agrees to bless the Governor's Palace before the ball.   At the same time, Isawa Kazue meets with Otsu and invites him to cater the ball. Otsu seems legitimately torn at the invitation but says if governor Gaijitsu approves, he'll do it. She books a table for herself, Shiba Daisuke, Chiyoko, Togashi Akemi, Kuni Taka, and Hida Haundo for dinner that evening.   Meeting up, Kazue and Chiyoko visit the leading kimono maker in the city, Itsuki, who turns out to be a middle-aged man with a moderately sized but well-appointed shop and a single assistant. The two purchase new kimonos from him, to be delivered to Toshi no Naishou before the day of the ball.   After purchasing kimonos, the two samurai visit Jimichi Keep to request Shiba Gaijitsu's permission for Otsu to travel to Toshi no Naishou and cater the ball. Gaijitsu allows it at once and shows no sign of the conflict that Otsu did. He is invited to join the group later for dinner and accepts. During the visit, Chiyoko asks him if he has any issues for Miya Ansho. Gaijitsu brings up the relative embargo on out-of-province goods being enforced by the merchants of Toshi no Naishou. It's been going on for about a year now and causing difficulties for the peasants of Koso Mura and not just the samurai.   It turns out Moshi Masako is not in the city currently, but at home in Moku Mura. On the plus side, Iuchi Lassat is in Koso Mura and the PCs talk to her. She is excited at the thought of showing art at the ball, but regrets that difficulties acquiring paper (from her home province of Ujidera) and clay (from the Nobu Valley prevent her from focusing on her art at the moment. Kazue gets the details from her and agrees to solve the problem so that Lassat can produce something new for the ball.   Taka, Haundo, Akemi, and two additional soldiers make it to Koso Mura that afternoon and dinner later that night with the governor is pleasant and filling. After dinner, the group assesses the acrobats and jesters in the Marketplace, hiring the best of both to perform subject to Gaijitsu's permission.   Back in Toshi no Naishou, Kitsune Sou speaks with Doji Shunpei who happily agrees to have the actors of the Dutiful Daughter perform at the ball.   When he returns to the palace, Kasuga Hitsuko is waiting to speak with him. After the small talk, she informs him that the minor clans delegation is considering swearing to break the curse of Ichinori Mura as their gift to the province. Sou thinks that it would be a great gift, if it can be accomplished. Hitsuko also asks if the minor clans can assist in any way with the preparation for the ball and after some thought, Sou asks them to arrange for some of the entertainment for the larger festival happening in the Samurai Quarter concurrently with the ball. Hitsuko graciously accepts and commits the minor clans delegation to handling it.   While this is going on, Shosuro Genjiro is working with Obaasan to determine the palace's staffing needs and begin lining up the staff. He finds Obaasan to be a good conversationalist once she warms up to him and he believes she knows her business very well.   That night, Genjiro and Asahina Junko return to the Dutiful Daughter for their appointment with Hichihiko. After singing for them, Junko, who is a skilled singer, too, rates her as the best she's ever heard. Genjiro hires her to perform at the palace during the ball.   The next day, back in Koso Mura, Chiyoko and Akemi depart for Moku Mura, which will take 2 days. Haundo gets Gaijitsu's permission for the acrobats and jester to travel for the ball and Kazue meets with Otsu to develop a list of what he needs. He comes up with a rough menu and ingredients list, along with a list of specialists from other settlements in the province that he needs help from.   One of the specialists is in Botsu Mura, so Kazue uses her magic to speed a message to Chiyoko to proceed there after talking with Moshi Masako. Another of the specialists is in Sujuko Mura, so Taka and Haundo depart for the village of the pass. Two of the remaining Emerald Legionnaires are dispatched back to Toshi no Naishou with Iuchi Lassat's required goods and instructions to Genjiro and Sou that someone needs to visit Shizu Mura and recruit the last of Otsu's requested specialists.   Back in Toshi no Naishou, Genjiro spends the day interviewing more servants, while Sou and Kitsune Yukika are busy about the city. That evening, Bayushi Itaru has dinner with Genjiro and informs him that the Scorpion are going to give the province the gift of opium cultivation under the auspices of the Soshi. Genjiro cleverly deduces that this will give the Scorpion a permanent presence in the province, whether Miya Ansho awards them governorship of it or not. After dinner, Itaru recommends Genjiro acquire some bottles of particularly good wine produced in a small village about a half day's ride west of Inari Seido.   A day later, on the 24th day of Hare, we find Kuni Taka and Hida Haundo arriving in Sujuko Mura. They speak with the village headman, Takehiko, and find out that the cook they're looking for, Suzu, works at the Happy Traveler Inn, the largest of the 3 inns in the village. The headman and Suzu are ecstatic at the idea of her helping cook for the new governor. Haundo also interviews the headman for any difficulties the village may have had since the clans arrived in force last fall.   Further south in Mujitsu, Kazue meets with Doji Takozawa. He is quite a skilled painter of landscapes and he and Kazue talk for some time about the art and practice of painting and why he came to Naishou Province. In exchange for exhibiting some of his work during the ball, he would like Ansho to become his patron as the previous governor, Shiba Hiromoto, was. Kazue agreed to his condition and also determined that Takozawa seemed a decent sort.